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Runs of Big Hands

2:10 PM, Posted by Michael Josem, No Comment

Complaint:
....lol but last night i played in a 45 person Sit N Go and once I got heads up, I had a run at the end where in 4 consecutive hands I had: KK,KK,AA,KK .....seemed a lil fishy to me lol but hey i ended up winning the whole thing so no complaints here :)
Response:
The fact that this stuff happens is evidence that the shuffle is random.

The fact that something that has just a small chance to happen, and subsequently does happen, itself suggests that the shuffle is truly random.

Pattern Recognition

1:14 AM, Posted by Michael Josem, No Comment


Statistics, and randomness, are, I think, two of the most poorly understood subjects in our society, and it's poorly understood because truly understanding this stuff runs directly contrary to billions of years of evolution.

In short, our brains are hard wired to identify patterns quickly, and rely upon those judgements. If our forebears saw a lion running quickly towards us, they needed to very quickly identify it as a threat, plot a likely path of the lion, and get out of the way... and if they didn't identify this pattern, they'd die pretty quickly. Consequently, the only people alive today are the descendants of people who were good at identifying patterns.

Asking Questions

1:07 AM, Posted by Michael Josem, No Comment

It is common for conspiracy theorists to claim that they're just asking questions.

Instead of phrasing their offensive allegations directly, they ask them in questions.

For example:
I dont see why is so taboo to think that MAYBE the online poker companies cheat at some level. If I deposit money in some bank before I do that I think: "is it fair?". If I make business with someone I think: "is He honest?". If I play a soccer championship I think: "are these referee cheating?" Why is it so scary to think: "are poker rooms fair?" Why do you people that believe it IS fair get so scared, why do you think someone needs to be paranoid to think of that?
I don't think these questions are taboo at all - I think that people should question this stuff.

Email the site you're concerned about, and ask them to address your issues. I think that'd be a good first step. You pay them rake - get them to explain how their shuffle works, get them to explain their safeguards against other risks, get them to help you understand whatever you want to know.